The Crash
by TheRantDragon
Summary: Lancitty. Lance gets in a car accident and spends time at the Xavier Institute, healing...but more than just healing takes place. Oneshot. Please RxR.


**Disclaimer- Don't own anything X-Men.**

**This is completely random. I think of random stuff like this alot, so, yeah.**

**x0x0x0x0x0x0xx00  
**

The problem with being a mutant was that you sometimes felt completely invincible, like your only threat was other mutants. You never considered things like floods and fires and diseases like cancer.

And you never knew it could ultimately be your downfall.

Lance Alvers never considered the fact that he could be in a simple thing like a car accident, and yet that was exactly what had happened. It had been a late trip out in his jeep, a trip to blow off some steam; living with the Brotherhood often required such trips from him. Especially when they knew you had a crush on one of your enemies. Sometimes he wondered why he was even with those guys...

Sometimes.

But then he would remember he was with them because all humans were scum who hated mutants just because they were different, and that Xavier wanted to try and make NICE with them. Fat chance.

He had just been thinking how nice it was to ride the streets at night, when no one was out to harass him, when it happened. There was a loud beeping and bright lights to his right, but by the time he'd looked it was too late. His whole world was jarred, just like one of the earthquakes he was so prone to causing. He felt his head collide painfully with the asphalt once, twice, thrice. Stars burst in his vision and he blacked out.

It must not have been for very long, because when he cracked his eyes open, he was hanging upside down in his car, the glass from the front completely shattered on the ground. He felt something warm trickling down the side of his head and knew it must be blood. He couldn't think, didn't know _what _to think. He was aware of the smell of something burning, and that the road outside the car seemed to flicker with light.

Something was on fire, and that wasn't good.

But he couldn't move. He couldn't seem to get his dangling arms to lift up and undo his seatbelt, and even if he did, he didn't think he'd be able to crawl away from the vehicle before it exploded. The blood was beginning to trickle into his eyes, and he closed them, feeling sick. He felt himself sliding in and out of reality until he couldn't tell whether he was awake or unconscious.

"Lance..."

He heard his name called as if from far away, a sort of echo. He wondered if he were imagining it or if there really was someone calling to him. He opened his right eye(the other was caked with blood), and saw a familiar head peering under the car worriedly. It made him strangely happy, though vaguely he wondered what she was doing here.

"Hi, Kitty..."

He couldn't tell if he'd really answered or not, but he was sure he hadn't felt his lips move. Maybe they were numb.

She didn't answer him, merely thrust her arm into the overturned car and wrapped her hand around his wrist. He felt no warmth at all. It was like she didn't exist. He knew she was going to phase him out of the wreckage, and he closed his eyes, knowing that she was going to take care of him...

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"...yes, she's hardly left his side."

"...she has strong feelings for the boy."

The voices drifted to him at first from afar, but then finally amplified until he could tell that he wasn't dreaming anymore. Something was in his nose, threading through both nostrils, and it was extremely annoying, as well as that beeping noise. He tried to prise his eyes open but the light was blinding and he had to shut them again quickly. He groaned and moved his left arm up to his face so he could rub at his eyes before attempting to open them again.

There was a sound coming from his left. A sound like hurried footsteps.

"Ah, Kitty, you're just in time. He's waking up as we speak."

Xavier's words had barely left his lips when a door opened to Lance's left, and he finally forced his eyelids upwards and looked blearily at the form of Kitty Pryde, who was rushing toward him with a look of upmost joy. The sight made his heart squeeze.

"Lance!" she said, stooping to wrap her arms around his neck briefly. He winced and she apologized as she moved away. "Whoops, sorry. But I'm so glad you're okay!"

"What am I doing here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes again. She couldn't keep the happiness out of her face as she explained.

"Well, I guess you're just really lucky that was out late and heard the crash. He brought you here."

"Why?"

Kitty frowned.

"So we could help you."

He stared levelly at her, this time using more emphasis.

"But _why_?"

She looked a little uncomfortable, like she was struggling for a way to explain this, but she was saved by a new voice.

"Because, we offer help to any mutant who needs it, whether friend or foe."

"Professor!" Kitty said, startled. "How long have you been here?"

He smiled.

"Oh, awhile."

"Did you want to speak to him? I could just--" she began, turning back toward the door, but the Professor stopped her.

"No, it's fine, Kitty. I just came to tell him he was welcome to stay as long as he may need." he said, turning to the boy in question. Lance stared at him for a moment before giving the most imperceptible of nods. Xavier nodded back and smiled, then left the way he'd came.

Silence.

"Kitty, you didn't pull me out of the car, did you?" he asked, but almost immediately regretted it when she gave him a funny look.

"No...I told you, found you...Why?"

"No reason" he said hastily, feeling embarrassed and stupid. Of course she hadn't saved him. It had just been a dream, a hallucination from his concussed mind; hitting the pavement three times could do that to a person. He thought she would press on with the matter, but to his immense relief, she didn't.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Over the next week and a half he slowly healed. First the cast on his right arm was removed, then the stitches above his left eyebrow, and last the bandages that swathed his forehead. There was a permanent scar there; he could feel it just beneath his hair. But more than just healing took place in that week and a half.

He also got to know Kitty more. She spent most of everyday with him, sometimes even bringing her homework down to work on while they talked. He couldn't imagine why she should want to spend so much time with him, especially since they tended to be enemies on most occasions, but he couldn't exactly bring himself to complain. He enjoyed every moment spent in her company.

Too bad it had to end soon.

"Are you leaving today?" she asked him at the end of the week as they were walking leisurely down the path outside the X Mansion. He noticed that most of the inhabitants outside as well seemed to give him looks of mistrust and hate, though some of the younger recruits he'd attempted to save from punishment during his previous stay here gave him thumbs up and smiled.

"Yep." he said shortly, not meeting her eyes. He felt completely better now, no longer in need of hours of rest at the infirmary. It was time to get back to the Brotherhood, where he would undoubtedly be harassed for his stay here. The unpleasant thought made him want to stay for just a little longer.

"The Professor said you could stay as long as you like..." she began, trailing off at the last part. He stopped and turned to look at her, brown hair hanging over his face as usual.

"He said I could stay as long as I _need_, not as long as I _like_. And I don't _need _to be here anymore, I feel better. So I'm leaving."

There was a long silence, then she looked up at him.

"Lance, I have a question, and I want you to answer it truthfully. Please?" she asked pleadingly as they continued walking down the path, though their eyes were still only for each other and not the path ahead. It took him several moments of internal debate before he finally said, albeit reluctantly, "Fine."

"Are you _happy _with the Brotherhood?"

They stopped walking again as wind blew across the Mansion lawns, ruffling their hair and clothes. Lance had to internally battle with himself on this one. Sometimes he felt like this place was where he ought to be, fighting alongside Kitty...but only sometimes. Most of the time he knew he should be with the Brotherhood, fighting against these human loving mutants who couldn't see the honest truth that humans would never accept them, fighting against Kitty...

"No."

The answer slipped out without his meaning it to, and he looked surprised at himself, almost as surprised as Kitty herself looked. He quickly changed his answer.

"I mean, yes. Well, _most _of the time." he said casually, beginning to walk forward again. Kitty was at his heels.

"And the other time?" she inquired, being persistant. A quality that was a part of his attraction to her; she was persistant and it was almost impossible to change her mind about something. He felt that she was wasted on the X-Men; she should be helping the right side. HIS side.

"The other time? Well, _you _try living with them sometime."

"Lance..." she said sternly.

"Okay, you know what? The time I spent here before was..._okay_. And sometimes I think I _could _stay here, but I _can't_." he said heatedly, getting just a little irritated at all these personal questions and inquiries. "And before you ask, the reason is because well, you and me? We don't exactly see eye to eye." he added, leaning toward her with a half grimace, half smile.

After that it was a virtually silent walk to the gates that closed off the X Mansion from unwanted eyes. They stopped there and looked at each other again, but then Kitty said something that made his whole body freeze and a sick feeling overtake him.

"Lance... told me that when he was saving you, you said my name..."

_Oh...crap._

He made a mental note to thoroughly thrash that guy next time they met in battle.

"Why did you think _I _saved you?"

His face felt warm and he shook his head angrily, turning as if to leave through the gate, but Kitty put herself between him and his way out.

"Come on, Lance, it's a simple question."

"I don't want--"

"Lance.."

"I just thought I saw you, okay?" he finally shouted, and the ground shook a bit beneath their feet, so that she had to steady herself. He was too angry to be embarrassed by his brief lack of control. "Sorry." he apologized stiffly.

"No, I'm sorry for asking." she said just as coldly, and she attempted to stalk past him, only to have his large fingerless-gloved hand grab her wrist. She simply phased out of it, just as she had done back in the collapsing principal's office at their old school so many months ago.

"Kitty, wait!" he pleaded, trying again to catch hold of her, but he might as well have been trying to catch smoke for all it was worth.

_Great, now you've really done it_, he berated himself, now padding down the path after her.

"Beat it, Lance" she called over her shoulder. "Go back to your Brotherhood!"

He stopped and groaned loudly, swiping a hand over his face in frustration, then he blurted out to her retreating form.

"I was hallucinating, okay Kitty? I hit my head on solid road and there was blood in my face! I guess some part of my mind _wanted _to believe you were there saving me..." he trailed off, aware that everyone outside had just witnessed his loud and embarrassing explanation.

He was almost positive he heard Bobby snicker.

Face blushing massively, he turned on heel and walked back toward the gate, subconsciously trying to hide his face in the folds of his jacket. He was about halfway there when a small hand fell on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Why me?" she asked.

Oh, God. Was she trying to kill him via embarrassment? She was doing a good job of it so far.

"Because I like you! Happy?"

He turned around to look at her only to find a few leaves moving across the way. Frowning, he turned back around and then felt a soft pair of lips collide gently with his own.

_Wow, _he thought. _Okay, yeah. This is worth leaving the Brotherhood for. _She's _worth it._

It only lasted briefly, then she pulled away and smiled and started in the other direction, leaving him staring after her. Then he shook his head and ran after her, falling in step when he reached her side.

"You know, I could stay a little longer. My head still hurts."

**x0x0x0x0x0x**

**I didn't mention what happened to whoever crashed into Lance, because it is completely irrelevant to the story. Please RxR I guess.  
**


End file.
